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United States Jennifer Batten is an electric guitar virtuoso recognized for her extensive session work and solo career, including prominent roles as lead guitarist for Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck.
Jennifer Batten served as Michael Jackson's lead guitarist for all three of his world tours: 'Bad' (1987–1989), 'Dangerous' (1992), and 'HIStory' (1996–1997). She also appeared in the historic 1993 Super Bowl halftime performance with Jackson.
Jennifer Batten has developed three instructional DVD/download courses with TrueFire: 'Rock Sauce for Lead Guitar', 'Rock Sauce for Rhythm Guitar', and '50 Ultra Intervallic Guitar Licks You Must Know', aimed at educating aspiring guitarists.
Batten held a guitar residency for the Cirque Du Soleil show 'Zumanity' in Las Vegas.
In 2017, Batten partnered with vocalist Marc Scherer and producer Jim Peterik (formerly of Survivor) on a melodic rock CD titled 'Scherer Batten - BattleZone'. Peterik wrote or co-wrote all the songs.
Jennifer Batten authored the music book 'Two Hand Rock', published by Hal Leonard, which provides insights into her guitar techniques.
In 2019, Batten worked with Rodrigo Teaser for a tribute to Michael Jackson titled '10 years without Michael Jackson', joined by choreographer LaVelle Smith Jr.
Since 2021, Batten has been part of many shows in the world tour of a Michael Jackson musical called 'This is Michael', performing live in Europe and Latin America.
Jennifer Batten participated in an interview for the NAMM Oral History Collection in 2016.
Jennifer Batten was born on November 29, 1957, in New York City. Her musical journey began at age eight when her father gave her an electric guitar, inspired by The Beatles. Early influences included B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Jeff Beck. In 1969, her family relocated to San Diego. She later attended the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Los Angeles, becoming the only female enrolled at the time and the first woman to graduate in 1979. Batten also served as the first female instructor at GIT, where she developed her two-handed tapping technique and played in local San Diego bands before moving to Los Angeles in 1984.
Batten’s career saw a significant turning point when she was selected as Michael Jackson’s lead guitarist from over 100 applicants in 1987. She toured with Jackson on his “Bad” (1987–1989), “Dangerous” (1992), and “HIStory” (1996–1997) world tours, performing for millions globally, including the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show, which reached over 1.5 billion viewers across 80 countries. During the “Dangerous” tour, she connected with Jeff Beck, her idol, leading to her joining his touring band for three years from 1998. She also contributed to Beck’s albums “Who Else!” (1999) and “You Had It Coming” (2001), marking an unprecedented collaboration as Beck’s first female instrumentalist in a three-decade period.
Jennifer Batten has pursued a successful solo career, releasing three albums: “Above, Below and Beyond” (1992), “Jennifer Batten’s Tribal Rage: Momentum” (1997), and “Whatever” (2007/2008). Her work spans various genres, including instrumental rock, jazz fusion, hard rock, electronic, and worldbeat. Beyond her performance career, Batten has authored two music books, “Two Hand Rock” and “The Transcribed Guitar Solos of Peter Sprague,” and created instructional courses for TrueFire, covering lead guitar, rhythm guitar, and intervallic licks. She continues to tour, conduct workshops, and perform with her cover band, Jennifer Batten and Full Steam, showcasing her diverse musical abilities and commitment to educating the next generation of guitarists.
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